The Promise - a children's tale

Once upon a time, in a town not too far from the Great Ocean, there lived an old lady. Every day, she and her dog Nicky Elmo would go for a walk on the Path of Positive Ponderings.

On these walks, the Lady and Nicky would talk about all manner of things. Mostly silliness that nobody else would care about. They loved each other very much, and looked forward to their time together walking. There was one rule that must always be followed: No negative thinking! Only positive and happy thoughts!

They would often see many different animals, such as deer, wascally wabbits, all kinds of birds, snails, and even a snake!

They would also come across other people – some walking their dogs, and some walking alone. The Lady would always smile and say, “Good morning!” Most of the people smiled back and returned the greeting. A very few were just plain grumpy and said nothing at all. But the Lady would always greet them anyway.

But the Lady and Nicky didn’t mind when NOBODY was on the Path. It was those times they enjoyed the most: it was quiet and peaceful and they could hear and see everything!

There was also a small stream that meandered alongside the Pathway. And in one special spot, there was a village of Faeries. The Lady would always say “Good morning, Faeries!" or "Goodbye Faeries!” as they passed by. If you listen very very closely, you can hear them chattering among themselves. But you can only hear them on the days when nobody else is on the Path.

One day, the Lady and Nicky found a tiny dead Mouse on the Path. It made them very sad. The Lady dug a small grave and buried it, promising to return with a marker.

When she finished, the Lady could hear some of the Birds chattering loudly. “Will you do the same if one of us should fall dead from the sky?”

The Lady assured the Birds that she would indeed do the same for them. But she hoped it would never be necessary. The Birds continued to chatter a bit, and seemed happy to know that.

As they left the Path of Positive Ponderings, the Lady asked the Faeries to watch over the grave so no one would disturb it. They solemnly nodded their heads in agreement that they would take turns standing guard.

At home that night, the Lady made a marker out of popsicle sticks. Since she didn’t know if the mouse was Mr., Mrs. or Miss Mouse, she simply wrote: M. Mouse, 6/26/07.  On the back, the Lady fastened the cap from a pen, which was perfect for holding flowers.

The next day, as they walked the Path, the Lady called to the Faeries and Birds: We are going to put a marker on the grave of M. Mouse, and we invite you to the ceremony! Follow me! And they all marched or flew solemnly to the grave of M. Mouse. True to their word, the Faeries had guarded the grave, and the Lady found it undisturbed.

After checking to be sure no one was coming, the Lady very carefully tapped the small marker into the grave and put some flowers in the tiny holder. Then, heads bowed, the Lady, Faeries and Birds wished the Mouse a safe journey to The Summer Land, which is where all animals go when they leave the Earth.

The Lady and Nicky resumed their daily walks and always put fresh flowers on the grave of M. Mouse.  And the Faeries continued to do a wonderful job of guarding it.

A very few days later, the Lady found two dead Birds on the Path! Oh no! The Birds were much larger than M. Mouse. She would need a shovel to bury them. Not wanting to just leave the Birds where they had fallen, the Lady hid them under a tree, with instructions to the Faeries to guard them until she could return and bury them properly.

“I promised the Birds I would do the same for THEM!” she cried. “It’s almost as if they are testing to see if I will keep my promise!”

When she finally returned to the Path, there were no Birds chirping. Not a sound could be heard. Not one peep.

It was very very hot that day, and everywhere she tried to dig, the dirt was as hard as stone. The Lady began to worry that she would NEVER find a spot to bury the Birds. Then, finally, she found a spot of soft dirt right next to M. Mouse! Working quickly, so no one would discover what she was doing, she dug the grave with the small shovel she had brought.

So far, the Lady hadn’t met any others on the Path. She felt very lucky!

She retrieved the sack in which she had put the Birds and made her way down the Path.

It was then that the strangest thing happened: Birds started appearing and chirping! And as she walked, a Dragonfly circled round and round her and then hovered in front of her face. Close enough to touch!

It was as if they had been watching and waiting to see if the Lady really would keep her promise!

Finally, the Lady placed the Birds into the grave. There wasn’t much dirt to cover them, but she did the best she could. For extra measure, she put a large flat stone over the grave to protect it.

As the Lady and Nicky finished their task, they bid the Birds farewell and sent them on their way to the Summer Land.

As she left the Path that day, she said to the Birds: I know I promised to bury you. But as you can see, it is nearly impossible to find a proper spot with dirt soft enough to permit digging. And we looked very suspicious carrying our shovel and bag! So, from now on, if one of you falls dead to the Earth, I will put you carefully under a tree, but I cannot bury you!

The Birds seemed to understand her explanation and agreed among themselves that this would be an acceptable arrangement.

But never again did any of the Birds fall dead from the sky.